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(No Model.)

G. P. 0. HOLMES.

RAGKET HOLDER AND PRESS.

No. 415,342. Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

NY PETEH5, Phflloillhcgmphen wimm mn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. C. HOLMES, OF LLANGOLLEN, COUNTY OF DENBIGII, ENGLAND.

RACKET HOLDER AND PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,342, dated November19, 1889.

Application fi September 28, 1888. Serial No. 286,662. (No model.)Patented in England August 4, 1888, No. 11,297.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE PERCIVAL GHISHOLM HOLMES, a subject of theQueen of Great Britain, residing at Llangollen, in the county ofDenbigh, England, have in vented a certain new or Improved CombinedRacket Holder and Press, (for which I have previously obtained LettersPatent in Great Britain, dated August 4,1888,No.11,297,) of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a new or improved combined press andracket-holder, and has for its object to provide an apparatus of simpleform for efficiently preventing the warping of rackets, and also forholding a certain number of them contiguously in one or several rows orinvertedly, in the manner hereinafter described.

In carrying my invention into practice I take an ordinary racket holderor stand and I form two holes at each end of the upper shelf or rackthereof, through which holes I pass one extremity of two poles oruprights until such extremity comes to rest upon the the rackets can beplaced in two superposed rows in an inverted position the handles of therackets rest against the central beam in the intervals between theabove-mentioned short rectangular cross -bars, so that each racket canbe withdrawn without interfering with any of the others, while at thesame time rackets of different thicknesses can be pressed by the samecross-bar.

I may construct my combined press and racket-holder of wood, or of acombination of wood and iron, or of any other suitable material.

In ordcr that my invention may be more fully understood, I haveillustrated the same in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l isa front elevation of my improved apparatus. Fig, 2 is a central sectionof a portion of a holder of aslightly-modified form; and Fig. 3 showsanother arrangement of my improved racket-holder and press, in which therackets are placed in an inverted position in two superposed rows. Fig.4 is a sectional view further illustrating the arrangement shown in Fig.

S is a stand consisting of a base-plate 19,

carrying two poles or uprights U U, having pointed ends, over which isplaced, by means of perforations p p, the upper shelf 8. Above thisupper shelf is fixed to the poles or uprights U U in any suitable mannerthe press P, composed of two or more central beams 1), against one orboth sides of which are pressed, byseparate cross-bars c c c, secured bythe thumbscrews t t t, the rackets R R, which are thus arranged insingle or double rows. The handles of the rackets R R R pass throughperforations h 7L, formed in the upper shelf 8, which is mounteduponuprights u u u, secured to the base-plate 1). According to thisarrangement the poles or uprights U U U and press P can be lifted clearaway from the stand S and planted in the ground where a game may becarried on and the implements may be required.

In Figs. 3 and l is shown a modified arrangement of my improved combinedracket holder and press. C O are two cross-bars, to which are fixed fourcentral bars B B B B, provided with grooves g g g g g g, Fig.4,t'or thehandles of the rackets R R R and R R R, respectively, and kept inposition by the oblique tie-bars D D. Upon the two upper bars B B areplaced, in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 3, the rackets R R R, whichare pressed by the six bars f f f f, secured to the said bars by thethumb-screws t t, and which have their handles directed downwardly andresting in the grooves g g g. Upon the two lower bars 13' B are likewiseplaced, but in an inverted position, the three rackets R R R, thehandles of which rest in the grooves g g g, the handles of the mid dleand right-hand rackets R R being placed,

as clearly shown, between two of the rackets R R, while the handle ofthe third racket R v plate p, upper shelf 3, and racket+press P, de

tachable from the stand and provided with uprights adapted to beinserted into the ground, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. A racket holder and press consisting of the combination, with a framehaving clamps for securing and pressing the rackets, and

having uprights adapted to be set in the ground, as described, of asecond frame constituting a holder and support for said uprights,substantially as set forth.

I G. P. G. HOLMES.

' WVitnesses:

A. J. ELI,

FRANK HUGHES, Bothof '76 Chancery LmzaLondoml V. 0.

